


Our House Will Be Our Home

by goddess_julie



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fluff and Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-30
Updated: 2013-11-30
Packaged: 2018-01-03 00:41:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1063626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goddess_julie/pseuds/goddess_julie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin and Arthur are apartment hunting.  Humour ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Our House Will Be Our Home

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as my Day 25 fic for Mini Nanowrimo on LJ. I'm doing 30 fics in 30 days in different fandoms.
> 
> I'm currently starting to look at apartments for the possibility of me having to move in the new year and discussions I was having inspired this story. I've never purchased a house so I don't know exactly what is involved, but I highly doubt it's as easy as I've made it. Perks of writing a fictional world.

“There needs to be a balcony.”

“And on-site laundry facilities.”

“And an exercise room.”

“And close to transportation.”

“Don’t forget an impressive view.”

Merlin raised an eyebrow. “You’re so vain and shallow sometimes.”

“And a pool, I will not live somewhere that doesn’t have a pool.”

“They have to allow pets.”

It was Arthur’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “That mangy beast is not coming with us. We can leave it for the next tenants to move in here.”

“If you don’t behave,” Merlin warned, only half teasing. “ Maybe I’ll leave you here for the next tenants too. And besides, you don’t have a pool where you live now.”

“Exactly, which is why I refuse to move somewhere that doesn’t have one. What’s the point of moving if you aren’t moving up?”

They had been discussing... nay... arguing about where they were going to move into together for an hour already. Not to mention the previous week that had gone by where the same argument ... er... discussion had carried on day to day with neither being able to fully commit to what it was they wanted. In any sense of a place to live.

Merlin and Arthur argued about location. Price. Amenities. Back to price. Back to location. They had even argued about how many bedrooms they should look at getting. 

“We’ll need at least three,” Arthur had stated firmly. One for us, one as an office and one for a spare room in case we have guests.

“Three?” Merlin responded by rolling his eyes. “First off, we don’t need an office AND a spare room. You’re at your own office enough that the last thing I am going to let you do when you come home is go into an office here and keep working. Two is more than enough. A bedroom for us and a guest room.”

The argument had continued from there.

Who would decorate? Would they rent or buy a condo? Why did Merlin’s cat Kilgharrah need to make the move with them?”

Merlin’s eyes narrowed and he practically growled at his lover. “He was here before you and at this rate he will probably be here long after you if you don’t stop trying to get rid of him.”

Wisely Arthur held his hands up in surrender. “Right. Killer is non-negotiable. I won’t mention him again.”

“Right you won’t!” Merlin warned.

Another week had gone by and a decision still had yet to be made. Neither could agree on anything where an apartment or condo was concerned. Everything was either too much or not enough, something didn’t feel right to one or both were just not feeling it.

Merlin was the first to feel hopeless. “What if this is the universe’s way of telling us we’re not meant to live together?”

With a gentle hand, Arthur lovingly ran his fingers through Merlin’s soft, dark locks. He stroked his scalp with one hand while the other was entangled with Merlin’s at the other man’s waist.

“We’ve technically BEEN living together for a year Merlin,” Arthur assured him. We’re paying rent on two flats when we really only use one.”

“But…”

“We’ll figure it out Merlin.” Before he could refute Arthur’s assurance, the blonde leaned down to kiss him hungrily on the mouth. All thoughts left his mind beyond Arthur. Naked. Now. And by the time they had separated, both naked and heaving from exhaustive love making on the couch, Merlin had forgotten what he’d been about to say.

~*~*

“Isn’t this out of your price range?” Gwaine asked Merlin as they headed up the walkway to a quaint two story, four bed three bath house with a double garage, a swimming pool in the back and a terrace off the master bedroom. 

Merlin looked at his friend through manic eyes and gave him a tired smile. “Technically no, not really. We didn’t really settle on a price, but had agreed that if the right place came along we would negotiate. But Gwaine, this has everything. Every single thing we’d discussed that we wanted with the exception that its’ not in a flat.”

“It’s a house!”

The laugh burst from Merlin unexpectedly. “Wow, handsome and smart. You, Gwaine, are the total package.” He only snorted when his friend preened at Merlin’s empty compliment.

“It’s a house and with Arthur’s salary and mine we can make payments without any problem, and we have enough mutual savings to put the down payment in and … this is what we want. This is what I’ve always pictured us getting, a little house on a quiet street with a beautiful view and a yard and…”

“If you say in a few months you’re going to be pregnant I might just have to throw up!”

“If I’m pregnant then I guess I’ll be throwing up with you,” Merlin teased as they met up with the real estate agent that was in charge of the open house that day.

“Now I will be honest with you,” Freya Evans said with a smile. “I do have a few other people looking at the moment and there is one gentleman who is seriously considering putting in an offer, so if you are interested, genuinely interested, I would act quick. This will not stay on the market long, especially at this price.”

Merlin felt his stomach drop at the thought of someone already being interested. Just from the photographs he’d seen online and the outside, he had a feeling this was the one. When he had spoken to Arthur earlier, he’d informed him that Leon needed his help looking at something for Morgana and he could be reached on his cell phone if needed. Merlin had admitted he’d made plans with Gwaine and would call if anything came up.

“You might just have to call Princess and tell him to get his blonde, pert ass in here,” Gwaine called from the kitchen. “If you guys don’t buy this house, someone is going to. Today.”

Merlin’s jaw dropped as he walked through the hallway and looked into the living room at the gorgeous fireplace that took up a big portion of one wall. He saw the wide picture window that let in natural light and pictured Arthur and he on their couch, laying together watching TV, or reading, or even making love with the fireplace raging and their belongings surrounding them. As he walked into the kitchen, Merlin couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped his lips. It was a deceptively small house from the outside, but inside it was huge. The kitchen was gorgeous with state of the art appliances that, according to Freya had just been put in and were included with the house, a large island and enough space to put a table that could probably sit sixteen. 

He knew immediately he would have to call Arthur. Before he could think twice, Merlin pulled his cell out of his pocket and dialed Arthur’s number.

Moments later Merlin heard Arthur’s ringtone. Not the tone of the ring through his ear, but his actual ring tone. With a confused glance around Merlin tried to locate the person who had the same ring as his boyfriend. 

“Hello?”

Arthur’s voice was in stereo. Merlin could hear him at the base of the stairs. 

“Arthur?”

“Where are you?” Merlin could hear the confusion in Arthur’s voice, obviously hearing him in person and over the phone.

“Come into the kitchen,” Merlin’s pulse was racing, his stomach fluttering. Seconds later Arthur entered the kitchen, phone to his ear and a mirroring look of shock on his face.

“What are you doing here?” Arthur asked, his cheeks pink and mouth set in a hesitant smile.

“Same thing as you I reckon.”

“Let me explain..”

Merlin began to laugh. 

“What? Explain how we suck at looking at apartments together because neither of us really want to live in an apartment and we didn’t even think about a house because it seems like too much of a commitment?”

Arthur processed Merlin’s words and eventually gave a nod. 

“And how this house is everything we’ve said we wanted all in one package and it’s perfect but neither of us were sure how to talk to the other about it?”

“And so we asked our best friends to come with us just to make sure it was a bad idea except it became the best idea?”

“Exactly,” Merlin approached Arthur and pulled him close enough so that he could place a gentle kiss on his lips.

“It’s perfect.”

“It’s a house.”

“There’s a balcony.”

“And we can get laundry machines.”

“ You can go to the gym.”

“And Killer can come.”

“We’ll get you a dog,” Merlin whispered against Arthur’s mouth as their lips met hungrily.

“We have enough money to do this,” Arthur said, excitement creeping into his voice.

“And I want to live with you, in our house, with our fur kids. I want to be with you Arthur.”

“Forever.”

“Oh, Mr. Pendragon. Mr. … Emrys… Ummm you both know each other?” Freya interrupted the two who were pressed against the counter, THEIR counter if they had their way, and her face wore a mask of confusion.

“This was who I told you I needed to confer with Ms. Evans” Arthur said without taking his eyes off of Merlin.

“This was also the man who was going to put in an offer when he spoke with his partner,” Freya said with a grin.

“We’ll take it,” both Merlin and Arthur said at the same time.

“I do have another offer,” Freya said with hesitation. “I will…”

“We’ll offer double,” Arthur kissed Merlin’s mouth one more time before pulling away.

Freya’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “Double sir?”

“Double. When can we close?”

“Give me a moment,” Freya said as she headed into the other room. They could hear her speaking softly, most likely to the individual whose house they would be buying. Minutes later she entered the kitchen with a wide grin on her face.

“Your friends said that they’ll see you later tonight at dinner. Same place and time as always, and they’ve taken your car Mr. Emrys.”

Merlin checked his pockets only to notice his keys were gone. “Fucking Gwaine,” he groaned with a laugh.

“Fucking Gwaine indeed,” Freya answered with a dreamy smile on her face. Her cheeks turned pink and she fought to regain her composure. “I apologize. “

Merlin and Arthur both gave a knowing laugh. Many a woman had fallen victim to Gwaine’s charms. Some men as well.

“I have spoken to the owner of the house and he is willing to close as soon as possible. He has accepted your offer. We will have you come in to my office tomorrow, go over the terms of the sale and sign everything and you will be able to move in as soon as the paperwork is processed.” Freya had paperwork ready for Arthur to look at. “Would you prefer to have your lawyer look it over first?”

Arthur shook his head. “No that’s fine.” With a smile Arthur signed and dated the document before having Merlin do the same. 

Freya gave them her business card and a copy of the document they had just signed. The rest of the details would be worked out the following day with home inspections being arranged and final financial arrangements discussed.

“Congratulations gentlemen,” Freya said with a smile. “You’ve just completed step one of buying this house. I will see you tomorrow.”

Moments later, they were alone.

“This is our house,” Merlin whispered in astonished wonder. He looked around and realized he hadn’t even seen the upstairs. Saying so, Arthur began to laugh.

“I haven’t seen the downstairs,” the blonde admitted. “We went straight upstairs.” 

“We have a house, Arthur Pendragon.”

“That we do Merlin Emrys,” Arthur replied with a kiss to Merlin’s lips. When he pulled away, both men were smiling. “The only thing we have left is for me to make an honest man out of you.”

Merlin leaned in and nuzzled Arthur’s nose with his own. “Yes,” was all he replied with.

FINIS


End file.
